Craft beer declined 5% in 2025. But that’s against the backdrop of a beer category that continues to struggle in general: with brewers fighting to maintain volumes and sales (overall beer volumes declined 5.7%).
And, despite the declines, craft brewers managed to edge up their market share in the category: up from 13.2% to 13.3%.
In value terms, craft beer declined 3.6% year-over-year in 2025, to a total of $27.8bn.
While reduced volumes also hit sales value, brewers managed to mitigate some of the impact with higher beer prices and higher unit prices at on-site venues such as taprooms and brewpubs.
Craft maintains a 24.6% share of total beer retail dollar sales, unchanged from the prior year.
So is this all good news or bad news for craft beer?
“I think for myself personally, and for many in the industry, optimism is part of our DNA,” said Matt Gacioch, staff economist at The Brewers Association.
“And there’s plenty in the numbers that give signs of cautious optimism.
“It’s been a challenging few years after the pandemic, and it’s now getting to a point where business owners understand the landscape better and are better able to handle it.”
It’s not quite a ‘new normal’: but brewers have shown they have the resilience to adapt and respond to changing situations.
And that could be particularly important as uncertainty on global markets, supply chains and consumer spending continues into 2026.
Points of resilience
So where are craft brewers doing well?
Non-alcoholic beer is a key point of growth in craft beer: with both dedicated non-alcoholic brewers such as Athletic Brewing and Best Day Brewing finding success; but also craft brewers extending into non-alcoholic beer.
Hospitality models, such as brewpubs and taprooms, continue to stay relatively resistant to the headwinds in the beer category.
The most successful are the ones who offer differentiated value to consumers, with something that stands out from the crowd.
And for a lot of brewpubs, that’s about offering plenty of choice so that there’s something for all consumers - not just craft beer aficionados.
“In order to capture a full group of people, it’s becoming more important that breweries offer a broader range of products within their space,” said Gacioch. “We’re seeing a lot more breweries offer products that span beyond craft beer.”
That includes more elaborate food menus or even a program of activities.
